Melbourne makes history again: Bandt

Greens MP Adam Bandt says Melbourne voters have again made history by re-electing him despite the two major parties teaming up against him.

With more than 60 per cent of the vote counted, the Greens lead Labor on a two-party preferred basis 55.3 to 44.7 per cent.

"We've made history again," Mr Bandt told a room full of cheering supporters on Saturday night.

He didn't have the benefit of the Liberal preferences that pushed him to victory three years ago but has increased the Greens' primary vote by almost eight per cent.

"There was obviously a tougher competition this time in that we were working against Labor and Liberal who were working together to ensure that there were no Greens in the House of Representatives," Mr Bandt told reporters.

The Greens deputy leader said the result showed those who didn't want election campaigns to be about a race to the bottom had found a voice in Melbourne.

"There's lots of people who despair that every three years we have this competition about who can beat up the most on refugees and that we have old parties cutting single parent payments or university funds," Mr Bandt said.